Colorado business leaders feel good about the direction of the state’s economy. In fact, a new study conducted by the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business suggests that the confidence employers of both large and small businesses have in the Colorado economy is “notably positive.”

“Business leaders’ reaffirmed confidence heading into the third quarter despite a dismal quarter one GDP report,” said economist Richard Wobbekind, executive director of the Leeds School’s Business Research Division, in a statement. “Panelists’ perceptions of the state economy outperforming the national economy are in fact grounded in the reality that the state economy is one of the best economies in the nation.”

The CU study, which is termed the Leeds Business Confidence Index (LBCI), has measured 11 consecutive quarters of “positive expectations” among state business leaders. “Increased confidence,” said Wobbekind, “coincides with increasing home prices, employment gains, rebounding household income, and falling foreclosure rates.”

For more on Denver’s increasing home prices in some of the city’s hottest neighborhoods, read 5280‘s 2014 guide to real estate.